FRANKLIN, TN - OCTOBER 31: A man exits an early voting polling place at the Williamson County Clerk's office, October 31, 2018 in Franklin, Tennessee. U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who represents Tennessee's 7th Congre...FRANKLIN, TN - OCTOBER 31: A man exits an early voting polling place at the Williamson County Clerk's office, October 31, 2018 in Franklin, Tennessee. U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who represents Tennessee's 7th Congressional district in the U.S. House, is running in a tight race against Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen, a former governor of Tennessee. The two are competing to fill the Senate seat left open by Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), who opted to not seek reelection. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)MORE LESS

In a tweet Monday morning, President Trump wrote that law enforcement has been instructed to “watch closely” for “ILLEGAL VOTING and threatened “Maximum Criminal Penalties” against “anyone caught.”

Law Enforcement has been strongly notified to watch closely for any ILLEGAL VOTING which may take place in Tuesday’s Election (or Early Voting). Anyone caught will be subject to the Maximum Criminal Penalties allowed by law. Thank you!

The extraordinary threat from a sitting president the day before Election Day mirrors Trump’s baseless claims of massive voter fraud in the 2016 election, which became the pretext for him to create his ill-fated voter fraud commission.